• mice die in utero or within three months (J:61052)

• mice die in utero or within three months

• tau-positive spheroidal inclusions in spinal cord neurons are visible by 1 month of age

• size and number increases up to 6-9 months of age, but decreases in number by 12 months of age

• inclusions are the size of medium to large spinal cord neurons and some appear to arise within the proximal axons of spinal cord neurons

• spinal cord inclusions are most frequent at the grey-white matter junction

• spinal cord inclusions in line 43 are larger and more abundant than in line 7

• tau-positive inclusions appear in cortical neurons and brainstem by 6 months of age

• inclusions in cortical neurons occur in proximal axons or somadendritic domains of neurons

• inclusions are visible in pontine neurons by 1 month of age

• tau deposits become increasingly insoluble with age

• detectable after one month of age

• in addition to inclusions, vacuolar lesions are observed in older mice

• spinal cord ventral root contains irregularly shaped axons

• by 12 months of age endoneurial space in ventral root axons appears to increase

• fast axonal transport of proteins is retarded as compared to wildtype

• 20% decrease in number of ventral root axons by 12 months of age

• significant reduction in microtubule density by 12 months of age, although neurofilament density is unchanged

• mice retract hindlimbs when lifted by the tail

• impaired ability to stand on slanted surface

• mice weigh 30-40% less than normal littermates